Overview
- President Isaac Herzog formally handed Gadi Eisenkot the mandate on Nov. 8 after consultations in which representatives commanding 67 Knesset seats recommended him over Benjamin Netanyahu.
- Eisenkot’s core bloc holds 48 seats while Netanyahu’s wider alliance holds 53 and Arab-led lists hold a record 19 seats, leaving every route to a 61-seat majority dependent on smaller parties or outside backing.
- The new Knesset was sworn in on Nov. 10 and opposition members immediately moved to fill key posts and table bills, including a proposed state inquiry into security failures around the Oct. 7, 2023 attack.
- Three main coalition paths are under active debate: a minority government propped up by Ra’am and the Joint List, a deal with ultra-Orthodox parties that would likely require Haredi draft concessions, or a unity arrangement with Likud that would need major power-sharing compromises.
- If Eisenkot cannot form a government by Dec. 6 he can seek a 14-day extension, after which Herzog could give another lawmaker a 28-day chance and repeated failure would trigger new elections, leaving security policy and Israel’s diplomatic standing in flux.